A diverse coalition of over 100 conservation and public health organizations, businesses, and consumer groups have sent a
letter to New England Governors raising concerns about proposals
that would require ratepayers to fund new natural gas pipelines before
considering alternatives that would be more consistent with land, water
and air quality protection goals, avoid impacts
to land protection investments that have already made and help
consumers by making better use of existing infrastructure.

The letter calls on the Governors to prioritize energy resources that
maintain state environmental requirements and protect natural resources,
people, and public and private investments from the impacts of energy
transmission and generation on sensitive lands,
waters, and the public values they support. For example, approximately
250 miles of new pipeline in Massachusetts proposed by the Tennessee Gas
Pipeline Northeast Expansion project would cut through and disrupt
thousands of acres of land that has been permanently
set aside for its conservation values.

A key finding from a principal study commissioned by the New England states on solutions
to winter electric price volatility finds that new energy infrastructure
could be avoided entirely if energy efficiency, renewable heating, and
distributed renewables keep power and gas
demand low. But an approach using a combination of resources has not
been evaluated.

Learn more
about natural
gas development’s impacts to public lands in AMC’s region, AMC’s energy
policies, and some measures AMC supports to address the impacts of
natural gas development on outdoor recreation and public lands.